Mobileye and Intel Join Forces In Biggest Autonomous Car Move Ever

The future of the autonomous car just changed dramatically.

After dancing with one another for a year, autonomous tech leader Mobileye and computer processing giant Intel announced that intel will acquire the newer company in a $15.6 billion deal that will rock the automotive world and shape the future of autonomous driving—and transportation as a whole.

Mobileye's products and services cover basically everything a car needs to be self-driving: from mapping to sensor fusion, front- and rear-facing camera tech, and—according to plans for 2018—will soon expand into crowdsourcing data for high definition maps. It has also become a major player in shaping policy intelligence underlying driving decisions. It's a smart company.

During a call this morning announcing the deal, Mobileye’s co-founder Amnon Shashua told reporters the company is working with 27 car manufacturers, including 10 production programs with Audi, BMW and others.

Mobileye, which is based in Israel, partnered early on with Tesla and provided core technology for the California-cased carmaker's Autopilot self-driving system. That relationship ended with no love lost. Since then, rumors have swirled around Mobileye acquisition, with Google and Apple both eyed as suitors.

Shashua will will stay on board and lead Intel’s newly formed autonomous driving division, which will be based in Israel. Beneath him, Intel SVP Doug Davis will oversee how Mobileye and Intel work together across the whole company.